Never Leave Me and Always Love Me
by iloveronnykins093
Summary: It's summer before the 6th year at Hogwarts for the trio. Harry falls for someone he never expected. Ron finally gains enough courage to reveal his true feelings for HER. 1 problem:someone is plotting against their love.
1. Dad's BIG news!

Mrs. Weasley sat at her kitchen table and waited, her plump, red face redder than usual. Around her sat 4 of her 7 children, each with their blazing red hair and freckles like her own. Just 20 minutes earlier, they received an owl from Mr. Arthur Weasley, their dear father and husband telling them he had urgent news for them. Since the recent events, everyone had different thoughts in their mind. Mrs. Weasley wondered if something terrible had happened! What if the Ministry had found out about Arthur's participation in the Order of the Pheonix and how he helped conceal Sirius Black; the very man who was most wanted by the dementors, the Ministry and most wizards and witches until his recent death?

_It doesn't matter much now about Sirius. Afterall, he did die...or does it matter? _The silence was unbearable. Ginny, like her mother, looked like she was about to be sick. Ginny wondered the same thing. She didn't know what she and her family would do if her father was thrown in Azkaban. Ron sat with his arms crossed, taking a deep sigh every now and then. He personally thought that maybe dad would come home with terrible news as well but was really hoping the news would be about Percy and some stupid job that he had done for Mr.Crouch. Fred and George were thinking the same thing. Even _that_ would be better than dad being fired. However, the boys knew their father would never send a letter having to do with something Percy'd accomplished. It had to be something very serious and that's exactly what they all feared.

Soon enough, the Weasleys heard a creak from the stoop outside and Mr. Weasley stepped inside, a cool smile already plastered onto his face. Every child was relieved to see the satisfied look on his face and sat up straight in their chairs as though he had brought them presents. Mrs. Weasley jumped out of her seat and ran over to her husband.

"Well, Arthur?! How did everything go? What's going on? Tell us...please! We've been waiting for you to come home!" Arthur patted his wife's arm and gave a quick peck on her cheek.

"Well...that's a nice welcome home, Molly. Why are you so worried? I have good news!" Molly took a seat opposite Arthur and waited patiently. Arthur continued on. "Well...it seems that the Ministry has caught some Death Eaters after Dumbledore's Army's wonderful victory! It seems Lucius Malfoy's been caught and sentenced life in Azkaban," Arthur smiled slightly at this. He hated Lucius Malfoy so much and was ecstatic to see him in Azkaban. His family smiled enormously also. "Also, because of my children's involvement in Dumbledore's Army, the Ministry has...well, they've given me a promotion," he paused to look at the even more enormous smiles on each face and then finished, "and...a RAISE!!!!!!!!" The following noise came from all 6 Weasleys; laughter and tears came soon after at this news. Ron ran upstairs shortly after his mother started to cry and began to heap each child into a bone crushing hug.

"I've GOT to tell Harry and Hermione about this!" he cried as he darted up the steps 3 at a time. He dashed into his bedroom and pulled out a quill and piece of parchment and wrote:

_Dear Harry,_

_You'll never believe it!!! Dad's got a promotion and a RAISE thanks to Dumbledore's Army and the help we gave! We caught Draco's dad, Lucius! He's been sent to Azkaban! Oh! I've only just thought of it; Malfoy!!! I can't WAIT to see the look on his face when I come back to school with all new supplies and he knows we're the ones who put his father in shackles!!!! YES!!! This year is going to be great! Send back a letter as soon as possible! If you want, I'll ask if you and Hermione can stay for a while!!! Well...talk to you soon!!! Bye!!!!!_

_Ron_

Ron stuffed the scrolled letter into an envelope and set it down on his Chudley Cannons bedspread. Then he quickly got another piece of Parchment, dipped his quill into the ink and began to write.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hermione! Guess what?!?!? You'll never believe it but my dad's got a raise and a promotion!!! And it's all because of Dumbledore's Army!!!! Well...we put Lucius in prison and he's gone for good!!! Write back as soon as possible!!! I'm going to ask Mum and Dad if you and Harry can stay for a while this summer...I've already written Harry about it! Well...bye!_

_Ron_

Ron stuffed Hermione's letter into an envelope also and scribbled the name as he had done for Harry's already. He walked over to the cage that held Pidwidgeon and pulled the small owl out. He tied the two letters onto Pidwidgeon's leg and sent him out of the window after he muttered pathetically, "Please send it to Harry and Hermione...and DON'T MESS IT UP..." Ron ran downstairs in time to see the whole family celebrating. Even Ron joined in with the dancing and laughing they were all having. Even Mrs. Weasley laughed when Fred and George slipped an Exploding BonBon in Arthur's piece of cake. They didn't go to bed until late into the night and the explosions wore off on Arthur. Everyone had sweet dreams that night and none of them expected what wonderful surprise would come in the morning.


	2. The Plan

The next morning, everyone woke early, even Ron, Fred and George. Mrs. Weasley had breakfast on the table already ready for the children when they came downstairs. After breakfast, Ron was about to go upstairs when the mail came.

"Ronald, you have mail! From Harry and Hermione!" George yelled as he handed the two envelopes to Ron. Ron took them upstairs with him before opening them. He threw the two envelopes onto his bed and collapsed. The envelope on top had very neat, minute handwriting on the front; Hermione. Ron opened the envelope carefully and read her small reply.

_Dear Ronald, _

_Oh my gosh! That's wonderful! I'm so glad that your dad got a raise! Of course, I would love to come and stay for a few weeks this summer! Did your parents say yes yet? My parents said I could go as long as your mom and dad allow it. Well, I'm sure I'll hear from you very soon. By the way, Harry's 16th birthday is coming up. I was wondering what you're going to get him? I'm not sure what I should get him but maybe before I come to visit I'll stop in Diagon Alley. Oh! Maybe we can go before school starts but you'll have to distract Harry while I pay for his present. Well, either way, write back when you know for sure, our plans, I mean. Bye!_

_Hermione_

Ron pushed the letter aside and snatched Harry's up. It looked a bit longer than Hermione's. He ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter. It was definitely a lot longer than Hermione;s letter. Ron began to read:

_Dear Ron, _

_Wow! Ron! I'm really happy for you. Well, look, I really don't want to put a damper on your mood but...umm...I really haven't been in a great mood lately. The Dursleys are only being worse to me, I really wish Sirius was here and my scar has been __killing__ me lately. I'm not sure what's been going on but I've been having these terrible dreams lately and I can hardly even remember them; just that they're terrible. I see murders and I hear plans of more killings. I think it's Voldemort planning them. But I'm not sure. Look, as soon as possible, write me back because I'm not sure how much longer the Dursleys will let Hedwig come and go. And if I can stay, yes! I would love to, as soon as possible...as long as I get away from here. Sorry Ron that I'm dumping this on you...it''s just that I haven't really been talking to anyone lately and I needed to tell someone and seeing as you're my best mate and all, I thought, I don't know...that I coyuld trust you most. Just DON'T tell your dad or mum. They'll definitely panic or something. Just don't say anything. Well, I really am really happy about your dad! I'm glad that he got a raise AND a promotion! Thanks...I'll talk to you really soon! _

_Harry_

Ron was slightly shocked that the dreams were starting up again and half shocked at the fact that Harry confessed to him about it. Usually Harry would wait until he was alone with Hermione and himself and tell them personally. Maybe something really bad was going on with Harry. He must have been feeling terribly lonely after Sirius' death and the dreams are getting so much more worse. Ron felt that he should tell his father but didn't want to betray Harry's trust. Ron figured he would hold it in until Harry was in real danger. Ron was knocked out of his reverie by a hollow knock on the door.

"Ron, I've got your laundry." It was his mum. He opened the door and let her in. She set down the clean laundry on the end of his bed and she started to pile some into her hands and into the drawers of his dresser. "Ron, don't walk around the house in your socks anymore...they're getting dirt stains on the bottom and I don't want to have to clean them off everytime. Also, I matched up every pair of your socks so you don't keep walking around looking so miss-matched." Ron nodded and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Umm...Mum. Do you think that it would be alright if Harry and Hermione came to visit for a couple of weeks?" Ron expected a straight "yes" from his mother but she seemed to stop and think this over.

"Hmm, I don't know Ron."

"Why?"

"Well, because your father and I are planning on going on vacation for a month. Perhaps to Peru...or maybe Paris or France? We will be finding out shortly."

"Well, what does that have to do with Harry and Hermione?"

"Well, We can't leave you alone in the house!'

"What if Fred and George watch us? We'll be fine." Mrs. Weasley gave a snort of laughter.

"Are you seriously saying I should consider leaving the house in Fred and George's hands?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, what if someone from the Order or someone could check up on us or something?"

"Hmm...maybe Lupin can. I'll ask. I was just going to make you stay with your Aunt Muriel but...maybe. I'll let you know as soon as possible. There's a meeting with the Order tonight, I'll ask then."

"Okay." Mrs. Weasley bustled out of the room looking very deep in thought. Ron hoped that his plan would succeed. It seemed like Harry really needed some support right now and a break from the Muggles; and Hermione...Hermione. He was still arguing in his head about what he would do this summer; if he would finally tell her how he felt or actually do something to let her know.

_Hmm...I don't know if I should just tell her. No, definitely not this summer after Sirius' death and all. I don't know if it'll be such a good idea. No, and not in front of Harry...or anybody else. Besides, it's not like she's actually going to make a move. Wait, does she even like me? I didnt't even think of that! Oh no, what if I do make a move and she just shrugs me off? I didn't plan this out! Oh blimey, I don't know what I'll do. Well, for now...all I have to worry about is whether or not we can even make this work. I hope so..._

Later that night, members of the Order started arriving in pairs. Among them came Remus Lupin, their dear family friend and Nymphadora (Tonks). Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pulled Lupin aside into the sitting room.

"Hello Remus. How are you?" and before waiting for his answer Mrs. Weasley continued. "Arthur and I are planning a few weeks vacation to Paris, you know, just the two of us."

"Well, that's wonderful." Lupin smiled.

"Well, you see, we thought maybe if you could, you could watch the kids just until we come back? It will only be a few weeks time, maybe two or three but you could always just contact us if anything happens and we'll come right home! And you don't have to stay here, you can come and just check up on them every couple of hours or something? I mean, you don't have to keep-"

"No, no, no. That would be no problem. Just one thing I have to say is that, what about the uh-..."

"Oh, you can justdo as you would usually do during the full moon. You don't have to come here and check on them that day, we can probably get someone else to come and check on them, like Mad-Eye or someone."

"Oh, alright. Because, honestly, I don't mind. It's just that I'm not sure if I can always be there."

"Well, we can get someone else, also, I'm sure!"

"Well, alright. Just let me know." Lupin smiled at the Weasleys as they left the room and entered the kitchen. Mad-Eye was sitting at the far end of the table. Mrs. Weasley sat down next to him and waited patiently until the meeting was over to address him.

Ron was sitting comfortably on his bed and waiting for the Order meeting to end and for his mum to come up and tell him if he would be able to have his best friends over. Fred and George suddenly Apparated to the bed directly across from Ron's bed and frowned slightly due to the fact Ron was so used to them popping up randomly everywhere that he looked up dismissively without a jump at all.

"Well? What do you want?"

"Such a nice way to address the people in charge of you for the next weeks time?!" Fred and George gloated in unison.

"What? What are you talking about?" Ron looked up from the Quidditch magazine he was reading and sat up.

"Well, we heard mum with the Extendable Ears and...it seems we're in charge!"

"No! She said that she would get someone else to come and take care of us!"

"Yeah, well...you know Lupin has a little problem with doing that...and Mad-Eye will only be able to check in some times. So, most of the time, we'll be in charge of you and Ginny." Fred laughed unmercifully and George grinned almost as wide as the time Dudley ate one of their Ton-Tongue Toffees. Ron looked up at the ceiling, grunted and banged his head against the bedroom wall.

"Oh well. That's better than nothing anyways. Alright but you're not going to torture us, are you?" Ron looked grief-stricken by the sudden thought. Fred and George exchanged glances and laughed loudly.

"No! We're not like that! In fact..." they lowered their voices tremendously so no one passing by in the hallway would know there was even any one in the room at all. "We're planning on throwing a party for just our Gryffindor friends at Hogwarts. What do you think?" They grinned at their own brilliance.

"How would that even work? If Mad-Eye and Lupin are going to be checking up on us every once in a while, you'd never be able to pull it off." Ron said not bothering to lower his voice at all.

"Shhh! Well, one day when it's a full moon, Lupin won't be able to come and Mad-Eye...well...we're sure we could handle him. Maybe cause some chaos in the Muggle world for the Ministry to call him for. You know, something you need an Auror for or something. It should be great! We're looking forward to it...so you should, too." Fred answered still in a hushed tone.

"Hmm...well...okay then but if you're caught, I wasn't involved in it." Ron mumbled under his breath. Fred and George said they'd see him later and Disapparated just moments before Mrs. Weasley entered the room.

"Well...we've got it all firgured out! Mad-Eye will come and check during the nights and Lupin will check on you during the day! This has worked out quite nicely! Well, Ron, you better send word to Harry and Hermione right now before you go to bed. Your father and I are leaving in 4 days for Paris, so...make your plans while you can! Good night." She leaned over and kissed Ron on the cheek before shutting the door behind her. Ron jumped up from his bed, so excited, he nearly knocked Pidwidgeon off of his swing. He quickly wrote to Harry and Hermione the arrangements and Fred and George's plan. He told them to reply as quickly as possible and he would get his dad to go and pick up Harry from the Muggles. After he secured the two new, sloppy envelopes onto Pidwidgeon's leg, he laid on his bed, dreaming of the next day to come.

He could hardly sleep with thoughts of Hermione and Harry and the party floating in his head. Ron had a sweet dream that night imagining how Hermione suddenly told Ron she loved him more than anyone else in the world and he imagined himself kissing her so delicately and softly that he thought it was almost real. The next morning, he woke to loud shouts and screams of excitement ringing through the house. His dream, slipping quickly out of his mind like water trickling out of a palm, was completely forgotten as Ron ran downstairs in his pajamas to see what all the excitement was. But he was totally unprepared to find another unexpected surprise from his mother and father.


	3. The Improved Plan and The Fight

The next morning Ron awoke with a stir. He heard many shouts of excitement from downstairs and sat up. He looked out the window; it must have been about noon. Ron took his time getting out of bed and shaking off his fatigue. As he reached the bottom step, everyone looked in his direction with huge smiles on their faces.

"Wha's wit' all the noise?" He said groggily. He was still making out the blurs that resembled his family members but then saw two extra blobs sitting and grinning at him. " 'arry? 'ermione?" he wiped his eyes to make sure he wasn't still dreaming. Nope, they were really there! As soon as Ron realized his two best friends weren't a figment of his imagination, he ran over to Harry and started slapping his back as though reminiscing on their best memories. Before he had taken his whole arm off of Harry's back, he felt a petite body fly into his arms. He looked down at this small body and realized it was Hermione by her bushy, brown hair. He hugged her tightly back, almost forgetting they were surrounded by his family and Harry. Then, reluctantly, he pulled back and let go. Harry noticed they both looked a little flushed in their cheeks and smirked. He knew that they really fancied each other but were just waiting for the right moment. He hoped it would be soon; so did Ron. "So, what's all this about? Why are you guys here so early? I only wrote you yesterday!" Ron turned to face his mother and father just as he realized that he was wearing his Chudley Cannon pajama's...in front of Hermione. _If I had known they would be coming I would've changed!_ Ron's ears turned a very dark shade of red. Fred was the first to answer.

"Well, mum and dad wrenched me, George and Ginny out of bed early this morning to help them surprise you by picking up Harry and Hermione! It was kind of hard since we didn't know how to get to Hermione's house from here and Harry...well..."

"Fred and George thought it would be funny to try out their new experiment for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on Dudley...again." Mr. Weasley sighed, darting back and forth between the twins and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was the only one who didn't bust out laughing while Mr. Weasley was attempting to keep a straight, solemn face.

"Yeah, we really got him good with our new one! You would think he would learn his lesson after the first time?!" Fred and George were laughing hysterically, and to their shock, Mrs. Weasley even accidentally let slip a giggle before wiping the smile off of her face.

"Boys! It was very wrong! And you're just lucky that I'm still allowing you to stay here in charge after that! You're very fortunate your father and I had a discussion about it in private and he persuaded me to change my mind. I was about to not let you use the new pool!"

Ron swerved on the spot and stared at his plump mother. "What pool? What are you guys talking about?" Ginny, who was rather quiet finally spoke.

"Well, mum and dad decided besides their own vacation they should get something for the whole family to enjoy. So, they bought a pool...which we're all going to be able to swim in while they're away! Isn't that great?!" Ginny smiled enthusiastically.

"Yea! That's great! Why didn't you guys tell me? When are we getting it?"

"Well, it will be arriving tomorrow, the day before your father and I will be going away for two weeks. And I am really telling you now. You MUST behave for Remus and Mad-Eye otherwise we will be told and will come home before you can say, "Merlin's pants". Got it?" Mrs. Weasley took a dangerous step toward Fred and George and eyed them cautiously as if daring them to contradict her.

Fred and George looked as if this had no effect on them and smiled the most innocent smile they could muster, then just simply replied, "There will be NO problems at all. You can trust us mum. REALLY."

Mrs. Weasley looked at Hermione and smiled pleasantly as she whispered, "Keep an eye on them. Don't let anything you know I wouldn't like happen."

"HA! Like she _would_ ALLOW us to do anything." George snickered. Ginny, Harry and the twins were the only ones to smile at this. Ron grimaced at George and muttered, "...Better shut his mouth." Hermione frowned and stared at the floor. Harry only stopped smiling when he saw Hermione'es reaction. Arthur and Molly walked out of the room without another word, as though they hadn't heard anything.

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Later that night Ron sat in his room with Harry and Hermione. It was the first time she had seen his room and while Harry was already familiarized with his orange room, covered in Chudley Cannons posters and his same bedspread, just sat on the vacant bed opposite Ron. Hermione, however, took a long look around the room while Ron nervously watched her. "So, I don't suppose, by any chance, you like the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team, do you?" Hermione poked good-naturedly. Ron's turned that deep shade again. Harry made room for Hermione to sit next to him and she did, smiling as she looked around the room again. Ron felt a very odd, abrupt feeling of jealousy sweep over him. _Why doesn't she sit next to me? I'm just as good as Harry!...wait, wait...whoa...knock yourself out of it, Ron! Calm down!_ he thought as his fists clenched tightly. _There's nothing going on between them! Just Calm down. But I can't calm down,_ he argued silently in his head. _I love her too much..._Ron frowned...Harry and Hermione both noticed.

"Ron, are you alright? You look a little sick." Hermione furrowed her brow in concern.

"Is something wrong, Ron?" Harry asked, noticing Ron's fists clenched so tightly he was making marks in his palms. "You look tense..." Ron snapped back to reality and looked them both square in the eye.

"Sorry, I- I dunno what happened. So..." Ron stuttered while racking his brains for a different subject. "What exactly happened with Dudley?"

Harry laughed. "Well, first, his stomach started getting very bloated-"

"Is that even possible for it to get bigger?!" Ron laughed. Harry laughed, too.

"Then, he started getting really REALLY bad gas! He was stinking up the whole house!" Ron and Harry started laughing while Hermione looked stern.

"Your mum was REALLY mad though, Ron. It wasn't THAT funny! Will you two stop laughing like a couple of hyenas?!" Then, before Hermione could help it, she started giggling like mad and couldn't stop. The laughing only ceased when two twin Weasley's had appeared next to Ron, almost sending him flying across the room from surprise.

"You'd think he'd be used to it by now." Fred gleamed as George smiled broadly. Ron scampered to his feet, trying to hide his embarrassment from Harry and Hermione as they were laughing even more. Harry noticed that as Ron hopped on his bed less than a bit uncasually, he had glanced at Hermione and tried to change the subject quickly.

"U-umm...s-so...how about those two weeks that mum and dad are going away for? Anything fun you're planning?" Ron sat twiddling his thumbs in his lap, still a bit embarrassed. Fred and George slapped Ron on the back and smiled mischeiviously.

"Well, little brother, now why do you think we should tell you?"

"Well, cause-"

"Well, fine, fine! If you insist. Well, what we're going to do is we're going to distract Lupin by telling him he should go to Tonks and that she told us she fancies him. We know that he fancies her so he'll probably go and visit her and you know what'll happen from there! Then, when Mad-Eye comes at nights, we'll just have to give him lots and lots of firewhisky! That way, he'll be too drunk to realize he allowed us to throw a party! And, if anything goes wrong, we always have the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to back us up!" Fred and George leaned back and put their arms over their heads as if to wait for someone to praise their brilliance. Harry and Ron seemed quite satisfied with the plan and were about to compliment when-

"No. No, that won't work...it definitely won't." All of the boys sat up straight to stare at Hermione in awe. "I mean, what if the whole thing backfires? We'll all be in SO much trouble! Your mom will never trust me again! I can't let you do it! I won't let you do it. I'm sorry but-but...no." Hermione sat looking afraid but stern at the same time. Fred and George were flabbergasted.

"How are you going to tell us?!? You can't tell us what we are and aren't doing! After all, WE are in charge of YOU!" Hermione opened her mouth in shock.

"You are NOT in charge of ME! I am a big girl and I can take care of myself! I'm sorry but if you try and do it, I'll-I'll stop you! I'll tell Lupin and Mad-Eye!" Hermione rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"Yea, well...see what happens if you do THAT! I don't think you'll be very delighted at the thought of having to check your food everytime you try to eat anything to make sure we haven't done anything to it! Good luck with that, Hermione, but if you think you can get away with that, you're wrong!" George roared.

Hermione swallowed hard and said, "Try it." And she looked the twins dead in the face and stared...hard.

"Fine! Well, sorry to spoil your fun Harry, Ron! You should've waited til' little miss goody two shoes wasn't around! Good luck with finding out anything now and having ANY fun on this "vacation." Fred rumbled. With that, Fred and George Disapparated but not until after George gave Fred a look saying, "We're not giving up that easily, are we?!". Harry rounded on Hermione.

"Why'd you do that, Hermione?!?!" Harry slammed his hand onto the bed.

Without looking at either boy she replied, "Because, Harry. We're going to get into trouble! I don't want any part in it! It was their mistake having told me about it in the first place!"

"HERMIONE!? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SAYING THAT! THEY WERE GOING TO THROW A PARTY! WE COULD'VE HAD A LOT OF FUN AND YOU RUINED IT!" Harry gesticulated wildly.

"I DON'T CARE, HARRY! I'm standing by my word to Mrs. Weasley and that's that." Hermione seemed to take a sudden interest in the plaid design on the bedspread which she sat on. Harry looked crazily at Ron.

"Ron?!?! You understand, right?! Don't you think we should knock some sense into her?!?!?" Ron just looked at Harry as though in deep concentration and then noticed the look on Hermione's face. It was a look between sympathy and desperation. He couldn't pull himself to say anything. He didn't who's side to choose. They were both his best friends!

"Uh-uhh..." Ron just shrugged apologetically at Harry and stared at his own bedspread. Harry swung and waved his arms into the air at Ron's response. He looked at Ron in utter disbelief and was about to actually say something to him, too but didn't. He put his hands down, stopped looking so angry and realized WHY Ron wasn't taking sides. Harry felt a small feeling of regret in his stomach. He felt bad for putting Ron on the spot like that and was glad that Ron had chose to ignore it rather than answer, even though Harry knew Ron was just as angry as he was.

Harry got onto his feet and grabbed for the door. "I'm going downstairs to see what's for dinner. I'll probably just hang out with Fred, George and Ginny." Harry smiled at the sound of Ginny's name. He fancied her quite a lot, too. "Maybe I can find out what we CAN do, now that someone's been a spoil sport." Harry added, not bothering to leave the bitterness out of his voice. Hermione waited a few short minutes until after the door closed to speak.


	4. One Moment Alone but Never Enough Time

"Ron, I-I'm sorry but...I just can't betray your mum like that. I'd feel too guilty letting her think we were perfect angels while she was away. I hope you're not too angry with me. And-and I know it must've been hard for you not to side with Harry. After all, I know you two are best mates and I know you agree with him. But I-I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry." Hermione looked sadly into Ron's eyes.

"Hermione, it's okay. You're my best friend, too, not just Harry. And, I just don't want to be involved and ruin our time off together. We shouldn't be fighting, we should be just having fun. Alright? Just forget about it." Ron smiled a small smile at Hermione. Hermione got up and sat next to Ron on his bed. Ron couldn't help but think, _Oh god, she's coming to sit on my bed._

Hermione placed a warm hand in his and sighed. "Thanks for understanding, Ron." Ron was blushing fiercly and couldn't help noticing Hermione was very pink, too.

Ron reached out to grab Hermione's other hand and turned to face her. He steadied himself before attempting to say the words that were caught in his throat. Finally, he cleared his throat as Hermione looked curiously into Ron's eyes. She looked kind and sweet. He kept noticing how beautiful she really was every few seconds. It was like the Yule Ball all over again. Ron, looking so foolish in his "dress" robes and Hermione looking beautiful and amazing, with her hair all done and her dress and makeup done, with her date; who wasn't Ron. He had wanted nothing more but to tell her how he was feeling at the very moment she walked into the Great Hall that night and how he had loved her ever their third year. Even though she was sometimes bossy, sometimes close-minded, always a know-it-all and a goody-two-shoes; she was still so beautiful in so many ways. She was friendly and hospitable. She was caring and kind. And she sometimes even let loose and laughed along with her friends as though she had no other care in the world. Even now, as she sat there, her bushy mane of hair sinking over her sullen face, she was beautiful to him, the most beautiful person on earth to him; and he couldn't even tell her.

"Ahem. Ron..." Hermione smiled as she noticed him staring into her eyes and smiling so lovingly toward her. He, at once, snapped out of his reverie and tried to find his words again. At a fatal attempt to clear his throat again, he finally spoke but a but higher and more nervous than usual.

"Hermione...I just wanted to tell you...tha-" but Ron didn't get to finish what he was so desperately trying to spit out. He was cut off by the loud shriek that was Ginny, calling them down to dinner. Ron jumped slightly while Hermione looked discouraged and said, "We'll continue later," as she got out of the bed, walked toward the door and waited for Ron to depart with her. He finally did and closed the door behind him.

When he sat down next to Harry, Harry leaned over to Ron and whispered, "Fred and George are not going to let HER get in the way, I'm sure of it. We've GOT to figure out a way to sneak around any watchful's, not just Hermione. We'll discuss it later." Harry finished quickly. As Harry pulled away from Ron, Hermione came clear into view across from him; she looked suspicious and concerned at the same time. Ron had about thirty seconds to worry himself about it but it was soon forgotten when his mum broke out the turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy and ham. Ron's mouth watered and his troubles were soon swept away as he scooped food onto his plate. Ron felt no urge to concern himself about the whole "Hermione/party" situation at all. At least, he didn't have to worry about it for long...


	5. 10 Secrets to a Guy's Heart

After dinner Ron and Harry shuffled upstairs with the twins, leaving Ginny and Hermione to help clear the table and wash the dishes. Hermione watched them depart and looked worried yet angry. Ron glanced back at Hermione and gave an apologetic look.

Once upstairs in the twins' room, they began to plot. "Well, how can we make sure that she's not lurking around in our business?" Fred asked.

"Well, someone will have to be a lookout." George stated.

"But who?" Harry inquired. Everyone looked at Ron. He hadn't said one thing and preferred to stay out of it. He wasn't sure whether Hermione had been standing outside and might be listening. If she was, she would never forgive him for choosing their side after what he said to her. Ron still remained quiet.

"I THINK RON SHOULD BE THE LOOKOUT." George smiled. "He does fancy her!" Harry, George and Fred laughed but Ron just scowled.

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do, Ron. Don't lie!"

"We know you like her!"

"Why do I have to be the lookout?!" Ron changed the subject quickly.

"Because...you could distract her by going in your room...and...hahahahaha." The twins and Harry still laughed.

"Shut up! All of you! I'm not doing anything for you!" Ron was turning a very dark embarrased, angry shade of red. They all stopped laughing.

"What?! You're going to let her spoil our fun just because you like her?!?!?!" Harry looked furious.

"NO! It's just- why should I take part in it if you're going to tease me?!"

"Cause you're our brother!" Fred and George shouted in unison.

"You're my best friend!" Harry shouted, too. Ron was SO confused. He had no idea what to do. He really DID want to have a party he just didn't want anyone to be angry with him.

"Besides...if you don't help us," Fred and George threatened and took out their wands, "we'll get revenge."

"ON ME?!?!" Ron was stunned. How could his own brother's be so evil?

"NO, NOT ON YOU! WHAT ARE YOU, STUPID?!?!?!" Fred and George retorted. "On Hermione!" Ron was still stunned. What would they do to her? How could they be THAT mad? What should he do?

"W-...d-...n-...fine." Ron whispered. What other choice did he have? He didn't want Hermione being terribly sick or anything. Who knows what the twin's would've done to her? he couldn't let them do that to her so, he had to do what they said. Harry saw the look on Ron's face and felt kind of bad for helping Fred and George guilt Ron into doing this. Then again, the party would be awesome and Ron would thank them later. "What do you want me to do?" Ron asked worriedly.

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Later on, Ron knew what his job was. And he didn't like it. He had to hang around Hermione constantly without acting suspiciously. He wondered if Hermione would find out about how he was coerced into it. He didn't want his brother's to be angry with him nor did he want Hermione to be. He stopped thinking about it as he went to search for Hermione. He found her in the living room reading a book. She looked up at him and shoved it down under the sofa as he sat down across from her. They were all alone.

"So...whatya reading?" Ron tried to look innocent. "Don't tell me it's _Hogwarts, A History_?" Ron smiled playfully as he relaxed a little and wondered why she had stuffed it under the couch. Hermione simply replied,

"NO," she fake laughed. "It's nothing." She looked sheepishly at Ron. He noticed she was turning a violent pink. He glanced at the bottom of the sofa and back at her as he smiled mischeiviously.

"Hmmm, I don't think it's NOTHING."

She tried to smile innocently but it didn't work. "No, really. I-it's nothing." She said quickly. She jumped out of her sat to grab the book but was too late as Ron had it already sitting dustily in his hands. She frowned, obviously humiliated and sat down slowly, staring at the floor, her violent pink turning violent red.

Ron burst out hysterical laughing. "What are you reading THIS rubbish for?" The book was titled, _10 Secrets to a Guy's Heart._ She snatched it back and threw sloppily into her bag.

"It's not rubbish." She said as though nothing had happened. He laughed again.

"Yes, it is. You don't need a dumb book like that to get a boyfriend." He stopped laughing and looked hungrily at her. He wanted to shout, "YOU DON'T NEED THAT STUPID BOOK! I LOVE YOU, HERMIONE! You already had me in love with you for years!" but he sat nonchalantly.

She was still very red in the face but the color was ebbing away. "How would you know?" She stared daggers at him, almost knowingly of what he was thinking and looked as though she wanted to shout, "THEN WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?!?!?!?!" but also sat calmly.

"Because I'm a guy and I serously doubt that that book really knows the secrets to my heart."

"Just because maybe you don't agree with those rules doesn't mean that every guy is like that. Besides, what if I'm looking for a guy that IS like that book says?"

Ron turned red. "And what exactly does that book say?"

"None of your business!"

"Fine! I don't care about your stupid, dumb book anyway. That thing'll never help you get a guy! It was just written by some stupid, lonely loser who had some dateless nights to waste!"

"Hmmm, sounds a lot like you!" Hermione and Ron's face were equally red in anger until that last comment. Ron was hurt by those words and looked like someone had just punched him in the face;someone he had deeply loved. Before Ron had a chance to retort, Harry came stumbling down the stairs excitedly.

"Come up, mate!" Harry had just seen the look on Ron's face and changed into a worried tone. "You okay?" Ron just nodded and walked up the stairs wearing the same expression and not saying a word, or glancing back at all.

Hermione now sat alone and felt a great regret for her words rise in her stomach. _How could I have said that?! That was cruel. But I didn't even mean it. And it was just a stupid fight. Now Ron probably hates me! I'll never get him like that. I love him so much but how could I say something so heartless?_ Hermione was left to her resentful thoughts while Ron plotted revenge with his brother's and Harry.

Upstairs, Ron did not tell them what had happened but they had noticed Ron had gotten more active in the plan and seemed not to care what Hermione would say or do. Ron had been so hurt by those words, yet he still loved her. Well, he would get his revenge. he didn't care about what he told her in his room. He was going to get even and he was going to help plan this party whether she liked it or not. She was going to be sorry for what she said and how she made him feel.


	6. My Own Personal Punishment

The next morning, the pool was finally installed after a much needed wait. Ginny had washed her favorite bathing suit the night before and also washed Hermione's. Ginny felt so envious and embarrased because Hermione had a 2 piece with dazzling rainbow colors on them that stood out while hers was a dull black one piece; mum didn't have money to freely buy bathing suits that were beautiful and probably wouldn't allow Ginny to wear one anyway. Hermione was still nervous about how Ron would react after last night's events and was barely listening when she heard Ginny start groaning. Finally, Hermione stopped imagining Ron totally shunning her and turned to Ginny.

"What's wrong?" Hermione put her hand on Ginny's shoulder. Ginny looked up at Hermione sadly. She had a feeling she was going to sound stupid for whining over something like this.

"My bathing suit is HIDEOUS! I don't think I can bear walking outside in front of Harry in this...this ATROCITY of a bathing suit!" Hermione wiped the look of sympathy off of her face and replaced her hand from Ginny's shoulder her hip.

"Umm...Gin. It's not THAT bad! Don't be so melodramatic!" Hermione laughed in spite of herself. "Ginny...are you PMSing?" Hermione laughed again. Ginny sighed, looked out the window and let out a small laugh.

"Hermione," Ginny faced her. "Can I PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...borrow one of your bathing suits?!?!" Ginny looked so hopeful, Hermione almost laughed hysterically at how stupid she was acting but suppressed it.

"Ginny...OF COURSE YOU CAN! Hahahaha. Don't worry about it." Hermione made a mental note not to mention to Ginny that the only reason she was letting her borrow one was because her parents wouldn't be there. Truth be told, Hermione wasn't completely comfortable with the 2 peice herself; her mother had forced her to bring it because she thought that Hermione was definitely old enough and mature enough to wear it. _She acts like it's a dog or something._ But Hermione had also, secretly, in a way, agreed with her mum. _I guess it's time to stop being such a goody two shoes! I'll try..._

Ginny pulled Hermione out of her thoughts by saying, "OHMAHGOSH! THANKS SOOO MUCH!" With that Ginny dragged Hermione upstairs to pick out which of Hermione's bathing suits would look best on her. As they were rushing up the steps, Hermione being pulled by her forearm, she somehow lost her footing and knocked right into someone. Hermione fell down but did not roll down the steps. While she helped herself up, she said to her feet, "Sorry, sorry!" but then ceased when she looked up and realized, to her horror, that it was Ron she had sidestepped right into. At first she just stood there in embarrasment and then felt astonished at Ron for he had just pushed by her and said, "Whatever." in an angry tone. _Oh no! He's STILL mad at me for last night! Just great!_

But Hermione didn't have much time to glare at the back of Ron's head because Ginny had continued dragging her into the bedroom with Hermione's suitcase in it.

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_This morning was just great! While I'm walking along, minding my own business, Hermione just bumps into me! What's her deal?! If it's not enough that she said that stuff to me last night, she has to "accidently" bump into me on the stairs! Well, I don't care if it WAS an accident. I still can't forgive her for last night. I CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW NIGHT! SHE IS REALLY GOING TO REGRET WHAT SHE SAID! Just one more day...mum and dad will be gone in the morning and we'll have the house to ourselves. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE LOOK ON HER FACE WHEN SHE REALIZES THAT WE WENT AHEAD AND HAD THE PARTY ANYWAY! AND THEN WHEN SHE SEES ME WITH MY "GIRLFRIEND". Of course, I haven't told Harry, Fred or George about that part. That's my own personal punishment...and it starts...tomorrow! _Ron schemed away, thinking of tomorrow night as he went all day and was as excited as ever the next morning to finally realize the day he was so anxious for was finally HERE!


	7. A New Look For Ron

_It's finally here. I've been waiting for this since...well, since two days ago but I can't believe everything that's going to happen today!_ Ron jumped out of bed and ran into Harry's room and woke him up like it was Christmas. Harry turned over, half-asleep and peered into Ron's elighted face.

"Whaa-" Harry said groggily. He didn't even finish before Ron wasn't the only ginger in the room. Fred and George had stumbled in the room, too. They still seemed to be asleep but they were equally excited as Ron. "What is this? A slumber party?" Harry sat upright and put his glasses on as he exclaimed this.

Ron and the twins wore the same humongous grin on their faces and Harry finally pulled himself out of bed. Harry followed them downstairs in his boxers and bare, masculine chest without a care or a second thought as to what Mrs. Weasley would say. There, they found Molly, Arthur, Hermione and Ginny. They were all already sitting down and eating breakfast.

"What time is it?" Ron asked anxiously. Arthur looked at the clock on the wall and said,

"Oh! Time to go! Let's go, Molly. We want to get a move on!" Molly finished up her eggs as she exclaimed,

"Alright!" She pushed her plate into the sink, walked over to Ginny and Hermione, scooped them up into a hug and kissed each on the cheek then moved onto the boys, doing the same. She stopped at Fred and George.

"Mum! Go! We know the rules! No parties, no roughhousing, and NO BREATHING!" Fred poked. Molly smiled warmly and said,

"Please, please don't break the rules! If you do, I WILL find out." and she turned and winked at Hermione, which made Hermione slightly angry because she knew she would be one for threatening after they left. Finally, with a last wave and a slam of the door, the Weasley parents were gone.

"PARTY!" George exclaimed and everyone laughed, even Hermione a little, remembering her goal to stop being a goody two shoes and trying to avoid her interrogation. "Wait, what time is it, really?"

Ginny looked at the clock and replied, "It's 11:00. Harry, I'm surprised you weren't up before all of us." Harry was slightly taken aback. Ginny didn't wake up until about that time so how did she know what time he woke up?

"How did you know I wake up early?" Harry laughed.

"Umm...I don't know. Well, come on, you've stayed at my house long enough for me to notice some habits." Ginny brushed it off and looked at Harry, making sure there was no trace of "Ginny's a stalker" on his face. Luckily, there wasn't, as he swiftly changed topics.

"So. When are we getting ready for our party?"

"Well, since the party starts at 7:00, we're going to go back to sleep for a bit. Then we'll start getting ready at about 4:30. Alright?" Fred smiled at everyone, including Hermione, although she felt he sent her a threatening glance.

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It was 4:15 and the twins were JUST stumbling out of bed.

"Why are you guys just waking up NOW?" Ginny laughed at their odd stances while they lumbered into the living room.

"Me and Fred were up all night, planning!" George laughed. Hermione sat in the armchair reading a book about the life and history of a woman named Gabriella Firecio who invented love spells. _At least now, Ron won't be able to tell that I'm reading about love potions but he'll think it's an autobiography; if he knows what that is. Wait, wait. Stop being such a know it all! Just control yourself!_

Ron walked in at that moment fully soaked and in a towel. He stood there with blazing red hair, even more red at the moment and his muscles glistening. He seemed not to notice Hermione gaping at his handsome torso and shouted,

"Hey Gin!" She rushed in from the kitchen. "Where's the conditioner?"

"Under the sink, in the cabinet...umm...behind the soap."

"Alright, thanks." He waltzed out of the room and Hermione heard the bathroom door shut. _OH...MY...__GOD_

_OH MERLIN! I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT! HAHAHAHA! THE LOOK ON HER FACE WAS PRICELESS! BUT NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THE LOOK THAT'LL BE ON HER FACE TONIGHT!_


	8. The Party Has Begun!

It was 6:45 when Ron took one long look around the backyard. There was there brand new beautiful pool, tables with plastic cups, bowls of chips, soda, firewhisky, butterbeers, pretzels, and many different assortments of alcohol. Ron was surprised about how Fred and George had been able to get all this stuff, especially the liquor! But he wasn't complaining and he didn't plan on asking them how they got it.

Ginny walked out from behind Ron and stood next to him. "Am I interrupting you in your deep thought?" Ron smiled and hooked an arm around his sister's shoulder gently.

"No. Not at all. Just admiring Fred and George's work really."

"Yea. They did do an amazing job!" Ginny piped up. "Ron?" He looked her in the eyes. "You're not still mad at Hermione, are you?" Ron looked pained and tore his eyes away. He didn't answer. "Ron!" He moved his arm away hastily and looked at Ginny.

"What?"

"Why are you carrying on?"

"Is this what you came out here for? To badger me?" He stood there for a second and then cut Ginny off. "Did Hermione send you out here to ask me this?"

"No! No! But I've seen the way you ignore her and the way she looks at you. I just think it's not-"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I mean she's been shooting you sorry, sad glances ever since the other day. And I don't know why."

"Why don't you ask HER instead-"

"She won't tell me why! She just keeps saying to drop it, nothing's going on and that it's her fault anyway." Ron didn't say anything for a long time. Then when he was about to say something, the doorbell rang and he heard excited shouts from his brothers. He didn't really want to continue so he just said, "Drop it.", walked into the house and greeted some guests.

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Hermione sat in Ginny's room, staring at her bare reflection in the mirror. _I'm kind of short. I need to lose weight. My hair looks dreadful. _She came up with any reason not to wear her 2 peice in front of Ron and the others. As a matter of fact, she just realized, she didn't even know who was coming to the party anyway. That made her worry even more. Finally she decided to pull on her bathing suit, a denim skirt and a black tank top. It brought out her figure massively. She looked a lot better with her hip hugging denim skirt and her tight tank top. She pulled on some plain black flip flops and combed her hair, which was straight thanks to her shower 15 minutes before (which she had slipped past Ron's room unnoticed thankfully) and some spray she put in her hair. She looked beautiful, although she didn't think so. Her hair was straight, but kind of wavy at the ends and it was bouncy and full. She smelled wonderful and she looked amazing...even though she was just wearing a skirt and a shirt, which is a big step for Hermione. And thankfully, she had gotten a tan before she came while she was out in the garden helping her mum. She slowly walked down the stairs and saw Ron wearing his bathing suit and a white t-shirt with an over shirt unbuttoned. He didn't look bad...he actually looked really handsome, she thought. But she hid any trace of longing because Ron was now looking at her walk down the steps. They almost got lost in each others eyes and forgot their stupid arguement but stopped because others were watching and Ron suddenly remembered he was still angry at her. As she stepped down and into the living room, she saw that the place looked really tidy and from what she could see, the backyard looked awesome. She was relieved to realize it was just her Gryffindor friends there. She recognized Neville Longbottom, Luna LoveGood, Seamus Finnagan, Dean Thomas, Alicia Spinnet, Oliver Wood and to her distaste, Lavender Brown among other Gryffindors crowding around. She waved to the ones she knew and then ran outside to get a better look. For some reason, she felt like she reall was excited and knew that she was and was glad that she was excited. She wanted to stop being a goody two shoes? Well, tonight, she was going to be everything BUT. It was going to be an interesting night.

She soon found Ginny, Neville, Luna and Harry talking about their summers. She happily joined the conversation and then turned when she heard Fred's voice.

"Alright everyone! Settle down!" And the announcement continued as Fred and George took turns speaking.

"As you all should know...this is a POOL PARTY!"

"That means, you HAVE to go swimming-"

"Whether you're wearing a bathing suit or not!"

"Now, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to go skinny-dipping if you're not wearing a bathing suit but-"

"That doesn't mean you can't!" Everyone laughed at George's joke.

"And it means, you can go swimming in your clothes or you might be able to borrow a bathing suit." Then he added, "Just as long you don't leave anything on them! I mean, no skid marks or anything!" Everyone laughed again. Hermione turned to go into the backyard and saw Ron staring at her from across the room and started blushing crazily. He looked away abruptly as he realized she had seen him. She continued outside into the backyard and found that some people had already jumped in. Harry, Fred and George were among them. She ran over to a chair and pulled off her shirt and skirt, half glancing at Ron. He was standing with Dean and Seamus talking and he was staring, and as much as he knew she saw him staring he didn't stop. After she was stripped of her clothes and only her colorful 2 peice remained she ran up the the side of the pool and shouted,

"How is it, Harry?" Harry was splashing around and laughing with his friends and stopped to look at Hermione. He stopped splashing and just gaped.

"Whoa." He didn't realize he had said it aloud. Hermione laughed and bit her lip. She didn't like Harry like that at all but it was exactly what she needed to accomplish her goal...and...to make Ron jealous. She looked over at Ron and saw him staring at Harry with a twisted look on his face. Hermione laughed even more as she noticed this and dived into the pool with the others. Less than five minutes later, she felt a splash nearby and looked over to see Ron swimming and splashing with his friends, too. Then her heart leaped. He wasn't alone. Someone was swimming alongside him. NO! She was, to Hermione's horror, sitting on Ron's shoulders. _That...that __**BITCH!**__ Ooooo! They're going to be sorry! _

Hermione looked to her right and saw a boy she had never really noticed before standing by a group of boys. She realized he wasn't a Gryffindor and that's why she had not recognized him before. Ooooo...but he was **CUTE**! _**AND HE'S LOOKING THIS WAY! GO HERMIONE! TIME TO LET YOUR IMAGE GO! NO MORE GOOD GIRL! **_She pulled herself out of the pool and looked in Ron's direction, making sure he was looking. He was. _Perfect. Two can play that game._ She walked over to the handsome, older boy. As she reached the boy, he smiled an adorable smile and said,

"Hey."

"Hi. I'm Hermione. What about you?"

"I'm Ryan." He looked at her up and down and looked like he liked what he saw. Hermione swore she saw the beach ball in Ron's hand bust and smiled. _It's working!_ Then, she heard Lavender.

"OH! You're SOOO strong! You don't even know your own strenghth! That's SEXY." That was the signal for Hermione to go in for the kill. She moved closer and placed her hand on his arm and said,

"Do you want to go swimming?"

"Uhh...I don't have a bathing suit." He frowned. "But trust me, I would definitely go with you if I had one."

Hermione inched closer and saw Ron's face swelling with anger. This only encouraged her. She was so close to kissing him but whispered in his ear instead. "Why don't you come upstairs? I know there's an extra one somewhere." He nodded happily and with one more glance at Ron, who looked furious as he realized they were going upstairs and actually got out of the pool, almost daring to follow but didn't as Lavender pulled him back in, she walked up the steps with Ryan at her heels.


End file.
